Spring is a time for growth — especially for the South Philly Food Co-op! A robust membership is the No. 1 key to finding a location for our store and opening our doors to the community.
With this in mind, we’re excited to announce that on March 1, we’ll launch our ambitious spring membership campaign, 599 and You, with the sole goal of reaching — or exceeding! — 600 member-owners by the end of April 2014. We’ll host tons of public events, recruitment parties, Coffee with the Co-op sessions and more, so keep an eye on the blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts for announcements throughout the campaign.
Why 600? We know it’ll take a village to make the South Philly Food Co-op a reality. Based on all of our hard work and research into best practices, 600 is the magic number the Co-op has determined it needs in order to support signing a lease and moving forward with the store opening. When we reach this important milestone, our pens will be ready!
Where will the Co-op be located? Our real estate committee has been working nonstop to find a space that fits our needs, pounding the pavement and coordinating with real estate agents and conducting site visits to assess square footage, parking, access to public transportation, costs and other important factors. Don’t worry – when a suitable location is found, you’ll hear about it!
What happens after 600? We’ll continue to grow, and work toward our next goal of 800 member-owners. The more member-owners we have, the stronger we are. We believe that when it comes to the monumental task of opening a grocery store in South Philly, slow and steady wins the race. Achieving our milestones is crucial to our success, and we will move forward only when we have the membership to support our financial and organizational needs.
How will we get there? If you want to help open the South Philly Food Co-op’s doors, the first step is to become a member. If you’re already on board, help us recruit more members! Think of it this way: If each of our current members recruited just one new household, we’d be 1,000 strong! During March and April, the Co-op will host a variety of fun events tailored to bring folks together and encourage not-yet-members to take the leap. Here’s what’s coming up:
- March 1: TEDxManhattan viewing party at Theatre Exile’s Studio X, 10am – 6pm
- March 12: Food-themed Quizzo at the Wishing Well, 7pm
- March and April: Member-hosted Eat & Greets
- April: Coffee with the Co-op
- April 28: Victory Party at Boot & Saddle, 6 – 9pm
More events and initiatives will be announced soon, so make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop!
Will you or someone you know be our 600th member?
